Prior art void fillers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,897 to Rogers and B1 4,494,897 to Rogers, utilize a void filler which may be expanded for use in filling spaces and collapsed into a generally flat configuration for storage. The void filler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,897 to Rogers and B1 4,494,897 to Rogers includes an outer tubular housing and an inner diamond-shaped core. The housing and the core readily collapse about integrally formed score indentations. To use the void filler, the outer housing is compressed about the score indentations thereby expanding the housing walls and the core. The void filler is placed between pieces of cargo and prevents the cargo from damaging each other due to shifting during transit.
While this type of void filler effectively prevents damage to cargo, the void filler cannot maintain an expanded configuration without cargo being placed along its sides since it readily collapses about the score indentations. Thus, a single operator cannot easily place the void filler between pieces of cargo since it does not maintain an expanded configuration and readily collapses.
The present invention is intended to overcome or minimize all of these problems, as well as to present several other improvements.